“The past few years have seen a steady stream of residential development,” said Emily Barron, the city’s planning director.
While residential growth may appear more active to the east, the same number of residential properties are under development west of SH 130.
A total of 30 residential properties are currently in various stages of development in Pflugerville, split evenly between the area east of SH 130 and the area to the west. However, the properties being developed on each side of the highway look very different.
MORE ROOFTOPS
According to Barron, city officials estimate that 2,071 residential units will be completed this year with 1,446 of those units within city limits and the remaining 625 in the extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ. In 2019, even more residential units are anticipated to be complete—1,397 in city limits and 688 in the ETJ.
The majority of that residential growth is taking place in the area east SH 130. Interim city manager Trey Fletcher said the residential growth is concentrated to that area because there are not large parcels of land remaining for that sort of development west of SH 130.
Currently, 15 residential properties are being developed east of SH 130, covering 4,669.6 acres with 14,790 planned residential units. Most of the properties are single-family subdivisions, with one apartment complex and a condominium property.
While development on the east side of SH 130 is more visible, development to the west is still taking place. Currently, 15 residential properties are in various stages of development over 781.1 acres west of SH 130. Once completed, the new developments will bring 4,654 new residential units to the area.
Unlike the east side of SH 130, only one-third of the residential development to the west is single-family subdivisions. Another third is multifamily housing and the remainder is made up of condominiums and one mixed-use development.
Although there are the same number of residential properties in development on both sides of SH 130, the multifamily developments take up less space and offer fewer total units than a single-family subdivision.
The residential development is a product of a rising population. In 2010, Pflugerville was home to 48,714 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. City officials estimate that the population last year reached 60,345 residents and will continue to grow at a projected rate of 5 percent each year.
Fletcher said the influx in residents could be a result of the price and availability of housing in Pflugerville.
In March the average price for a home in the 78660 ZIP code in Pflugerville was $237,750, according to the Austin Board of Realtors. The same month in Austin, ABoR reported that the average price of a home was $370,000.
With SH 130 facilitating the commute between the two cities, homebuyers may be looking north of Austin. Fletcher said that the reputation of Pflugerville ISD could be another factor attracting residents to the city.
Rainer Ficken, vice president of development for Newland Communities, believes that the development of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Pflugerville will act as another catalyst for development in the area. The hospital will open at the northeast corner of SH 130 and Pflugerville Parkway in October.
“This is really just going to spur a lot more demand for the residential development as Pflugerville continues to grow,” Ficken said. Newland Communities developed Falcon Pointe, a master-planned community near the intersection of SH 45 and 130.
“15 years ago, Pflugerville really was a bedroom community. It had very little quality retail and commercial businesses and even jobs. It continues to change, especially with the addition of the hospital,” Ficken said. “I definitely see the demand [for residential development] continuing, whether it’s directly along SH 130 or even a bit further east of 130.”
At the rate the city is growing, city officials expect to see Pflugerville’s population rise to 114,655 residents by 2030.
The rising population is fueling the development of residential property, which in turn is pushing improvements to existing transportation infrastructure.
IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY
Pflugerville currently has several transportation improvements underway, three of which will impact the four routes to cross SH 130.
“[SH] 130 acts as a river,” Fletcher said. “We need to improve transportation to allow people to easily go across 130.”
Fletcher said an important element of improving the existing roadways is providing alternatives to major roadways to deter congestion. This is done by extending the connectivity of smaller roadways.
Work is currently underway to reconstruct the existing two-lane section of Rowe Lane and add shoulders to the roadway. Crews are also working to make improvements to the intersection of East Pflugerville Parkway and SH 130. In May, the second phase of the project will go out to bid. This phase will involve laying new asphalt and the construction of a pedestrian pathway on the portion of East Pflugerville Parkway between Colorado Sand Drive and Becker Farm Road.
In early 2017 the city began working on improvements to Weiss Lane between Kelly Lane and Pecan Street. The project will widen the roadway and include improvements such as the addition of turn lanes and shoulders and the reconstruction of bridges. City officials said that the goal of the project is to improve access to Weiss High School, the city’s newest high school.
Much of this work is being done in anticipation of the new residential areas, but transportation is not the only area in which city officials are thinking ahead to accommodate growth.
ISD CONSIDERATIONS
Pflugerville ISD’s newest high school, Weiss High School, opened on the east side of SH 130 in fall 2017. Steve Scheffler, communications officer for the district, said that population growth in that area played a role in the school’s location.
“Demographics do show that the east side of our district is growing at a faster rate than other parts of the district,” Scheffler said.
To explore the need for new facilities, the district formed a citizens facility advisory committee, or CFAC. The committee, which is made up of parents, staff and community leaders, will review growth predictions for the district and provide a list of facility needs to the board of trustees in July.
“Our district is growing at a rate of about 500 to 700 students each year,” Doug Killian, PfISD superintendent, said when announcing the formation of the committee. “We are a fast-growth district, and we need to stay ahead of that growth.”
Scheffler said that growth on the east side of the district would likely be reflected in any potential new facilities that the district pursues.
As more residents move into previously empty areas of the city, the need will arise for new schools.
“We all know that growth is coming—it’s already here—and it’s going to continue,” Scheffler said.
